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Iff  The  King  XSI 
Golden  River 


m 


BY 
JOHN  RUSKIN 


1 


S?» 


HENRY  ALTEMUS  COMPANY 

P  H  1  t  A  D-E  L  P  H  I  A 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 


or 


The  Black  Brothers 


CHAPTER  I 

HOW    THE    AGRICULTURAL    SYSTEM     OP    THE 

BLACK  BROTHERS  WAS  INTERFERED  WITH 

BY   SOUTH-WEST   WIND,   ESQUIRE 

TN  a  secluded  and  mountainous  part  of 
Stiria  there  was,  in  old  time,  a  val- 
ley of  the  most  surprising  and  luxuriant 
fertility.  It  was  surrounded,  on  all  sides, 
by  steep  and  rocky  mountains,  rising  into 
peaks,  which  were  always  covered  with 
3 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

snow,  and  from  which  a  number  of  tor- 
rents descended  in  constant  cataracts. 
One  of  these  fell  westward,  over  the  face 
of  a  crag  so  high,  that,  when  the  sun  had 
set  to  everything  else,  and  all  below  was 
darkness,  his  beams  still  shone  full  upon  this 
waterfall,  so  that  it  looked  like  a  shower 
of  gold.  It  was,  therefore,  called  by  the 
people  of  the  neighbourhood,  the  Golden 
River.  It  was  strange  that  none  of  these 
streams  fell  into  the  valley  itself.  They 
all  descended  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains,  and  wound  away  through 
broad  plains  and  by  populous  cities.  But 
the  clouds  were  drawn  so  constantly  to  the 
snowy  hills,  and  rested  so  softly  in  the  cir- 
cular hollow,  that  in  time  of  drought  and 
heat,  when  all  the  country  round  was 
4 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

burnt  up,  there  was  still  rain  in  the  little 
valley ;  and  its  crops  were  so  heavy,  and 
its  hay  so  high,  and  its  apples  so  red,  and 
its  grapes  so  blue,  and  its  wine  so  rich,  and 
its  honey  so  sweet,  that  it  was  a  marvel  to 
every  one  who  beheld  it,  and  was  com- 
monly called  the  Treasure  Valley. 

The  whole  of  this  little  valley  belonged 
to  three  brothers,  called  Schwartz,  Hans, 
and  Gluck.  Schwartz  and  Hans,  the  two 
elder  brothers,  were  very  ugly  men,  with 
over-hanging  eyebrows  and  small  dull  eyes, 
which  were  always  half  shut,  so  that  you 
couldn't  see  into  them,  and  always  fancied 
they  saw  very  far  into  you.  They  lived  by 
farming  the  Treasure  Valley,  and  very 
good  farmers  they  were.  They  killed 
everything  that  did  not  pay  for  its  eating. 
5 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

They  shot  the  blackbirds,  because  they 
pecked  the  fruit ;  and  killed  the  hedgehogs, 
lest  they  should  suck  the  cows ;  they  poi- 
soned the  crickets  for  eating  the  crumbs  in 
the  kitchen;  and  smothered  the  cicadas, 
which  used  to  sing  all  summer  in  the  lime 
trees.  They  worked  their  servants  with- 
out any  wages,  till  they  would  not  work  any 
more,  and  then  quarrelled  with  them,  and 
turned  them  out  of  doors  without  paying 
them.  It  would  have  been  very  odd,  if  with 
such  a  farm,  and  such  a  system  of  farming, 
they  hadn't  got  very  rich;  and  very  rich 
they  did  get.  They  generally  contrived  to 
keep  their  corn  by  them  till  it  was  very 
dear,  and  then  sell  it  for  twice  its  value; 
they  had  heaps  of  gold  lying  about  on  their 
floors,  yet  it  was  never  known  that  they  had 
6 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

given  so  much  as  a  penny  or  a  crust  in 
charity;  they  never  went  to  mass;  grum- 
bled perpetually  at  paying  tithes ;  and  were, 
in  a  word,  of  so  cruel  and  grinding  a  tem- 
per, as  to  receive  from  all  those  with  whom 
they  had  any  dealings,  the  nick-name  of 
the  "Black  Brothers." 

The  youngest  brother,  Gluck,  was  as  com- 
pletely opposed,  in  both  appearance  and 
character,  to  his  seniors  as  could  possibly 
be  imagined  or  desired.  He  was  not  above 
twelve  years  old,  fair,  blue-eyed,  and  kind 
in  temper  to  every  living  thing.  He  did 
not,  of  course,  agree  particularly  well  with 
his  brothers,  or  rather,  they  did  not  agree 
with  him.  He  was  usually  appointed  to 
the  honourable  office  of  turnspit,  when 
there  was  anything  to  roast,  which  was  not 
7 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

often;  for,  to  do  the  brothers  justice,  they 
they  were  hardly  less  sparing  upon  them- 
selves than  upon  other  people.  At  other 
times  he  used  to  clean  the  shoes,  floors,  and 
sometimes  the  plates,  occasionally  getting 
what  was  left  on  them,  by  way  of  en- 
couragement, and  a  wholesome  quantity  of 
dry  blows,  by  way  of  education. 

Things   went  on   in  this  manner  for  a 
long  time.     At  last  came  a  very  wet  sum- 
mer,  and   everything  went   wrong  in  the 
country  around.    The  hay  had  hardly  been 
got  in,  when  the  haystacks  were   floated 
bodily  down  to  the  sea  by  an  inundation 
the  vines  were  cut  to  pieces  with  the  hail 
the  corn  was  all  killed  by  a  black  blight 
only  in  the  Treasure  Valley,  as  usual,  all 
was  safe.     As  it  had  rain  when  there  was 
8 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

rain  no  where  else,  so  it  had  sun  when  there 
was  sun  no  where  else.  Every  body  come 
to  buy  corn  at  the  farm,  and  went  away 
pouring  maledictions  on  the  Black  Brothers. 
They  asked  what  they  liked,  and  got  it,  ex- 
cept from  the  poor  people,  who  could  only 
beg,  and  several  of  whom  were  starved  at 
their  very  door,  without  the  slightest  re- 
gard or  notice. 

It  was  drawing  towards  winter,  and  very 
cold  weather,  when  one  day  the  two  elder 
brothers  had  gone  out,  with  their  usual 
warning  to  little  Gluck,  who  was  left  to  mind 
the  roast,  that  he  was  to  let  nobody  in,  and 
give  nothing  out.  Gluck  sat  down  quite  close 
to  the  fire,  for  it  was  raining  very  hard, 
and  the  kitchen  walls  were  by  no  means 
dry  or  comfortable  looking.  He  turned 
9 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

and  turned,  and  the  roast  got  nice  and 
brown.  "What  a  pity,"  thought  Gluck, 
"my  brothers  never  ask  any  body  to  din- 
ner. I'm  sure,  when  they've  got  such  a 
nice  piece  of  mutton  as  this,  and  nobody 
else  has  got  so  much  as  a  piece  of  dry  bread, 
it  would  do  their  hearts  good  to  have  some- 
body to  eat  it  with  them." 

Just  as  he  spoke,  there  came  a  double 
knock  at  the  house  door,  yet  heavy  and 
dull,  as  though  the  knocker  had  been  tied 
up — more  like  a  puff  than  a  knock. 

"It  must  be  the  wind,"  said  Gluck;  "no- 
body else  would  venture  to  knock  double 
knocks  at  our  door. ' ' 

No;  it  wasn't  the  wind:  there  it  came 
again  very  hard,  and  what  was  particularly 
astounding,  the  knocker  seemed  to  be  in  a 
10 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

hurry,  and  not  to  be  in  the  least  afraid 
of  the  consequences.  Gluck  went  to  the 
window,  opened  it,  and  put  his  head  out 
to  see  who  it  was. 

It  was  the  most  extraordinary  looking 
little  gentleman  he  had  ever  seen  in  his 
life.  He  had  a  very  large  nose,  slightly 
brass-coloured ;  his  cheeks  were  very  round, 
and  very  red,  and  might  have  warranted 
a  supposition  that  he  had  been  blowing  a 
refractory  fire  for  the  last  eight-and-forty 
hours;  his  eyes  twinkled  merrily  through 
long  silky  eyelashes,  his  moustaches  curled 
twice  round  like  a  corkscrew  on  each  side 
of  his  mouth,  and  his  hair,  of  a  curious 
mixed  pepper-and-salt  colour,  descended 
far  over  his  shoulders.  He  was  about  four 
feet  six  in  height,  and  wore  a  conical 
11 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

pointed  cap  of  nearly  the  same  altitude, 
decorated  with  a  black  feather  some  three 
feet  long.  His  doublet  was  prolonged  be- 
hind into  something  resembling  a  violent 
exaggeration  of  what  is  now  termed  a 
"swallow  tail,"  but  was  much  obscured  by 
the  swelling  folds  of  an  enormous  black, 
glossy-looking  cloak,  which  must  have  been 
very  much  too  long  in  calm  weather,  as  the 
wind,  whistling  round  the  old  house,  car- 
ried it  clear  out  from  the  wearer's  should- 
ers to  about  four  times  his  own  length. 

Gluck  was  so  perfectly  paralyzed  by  the 
singular  appearance  of  his  visitor,  that  he 
remained  fixed  without  uttering  a  word, 
until  the  old  gentleman,  having  performed 
another,  and  a  more  energetic  concerto  on 
the  knocker,  turned  round  to  look  after  his 
12 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

fly-away  cloak.  In  so  doing  he  caught  sight 
of  Gluck's  little  yellow  head  jammed  in  the 
window,  with  its  month  and  eyes  very  wide 
open  indeed.  * 

"  Hollo!"  said  the  little  gentleman, 
" that's  not  the  way  to  answer  the  door: 
I  'm  wet,  let  me  in. ' ' 

To  do  the  little  gentleman  justice,  he 
was  wet.  His  feather  hung  down  between 
his  legs  like  a  beaten  puppy 's  tail,  dripping 
like  an  umbrella ;  and  from  the  ends  of  his 
moustaches  the  water  was  running  into  his 
waistcoat  pockets,  and  out  again  like  a  mill 
stream. 

"■'I  beg  pardon,  sir,"  said  Gluck,  "I'm 
very  sorry,  but  I  really  can't." 

"Can't  what?"  said  the  old  gentleman. 

* '  I  can 't  let  you  in,  sir, — I  can 't,  indeed ; 
13 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

my  brothers  would  beat  me  to  death,  sir,  if 
I  thought  of  such  a  thing.  What  do  you 
want,  sir?" 

"Want?"  said  the  old  gentleman,  petu- 
lantly. "I  want  fire,  and  shelter;  and 
there's  your  great  fire  there  blazing,  crac- 
kling, and  dancing  on  the  walls,  with  no- 
body to  feel  it.  Let  me  in,  I  say;  I  only 
want  to  warm  myself." 

Gluck  had  had  his  head,  by  this  time,  so 
long  out  of  the  window,  that  he  began  to 
feel  it  was  really  unpleasantly  cold,  and 
when  he  turned,  and  saw  the  beautiful  fire 
rustling  and  roaring,  and  throwing  long 
bright  tongues  up  the  chimney,  as  if  it  were 
licking  its  chops  at  the  savoury  smell  of 
the  leg  of  mutton,  his  heart  melted  within 
him  that  it  should  be  burning  away  for 
14 


Or,  the   Black   Brothers 

nothing.  "He  does  look  very  wet,"  said 
little  Gluck;  "I'll  just  let  him  in  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour."  Round  he  went  to 
the  door,  and  opened  it;  and  as  the  little 
gentleman  walked  in,  there  came  a  gust  of 
wind  through  the  house,  that  made  the  old 
chimneys  totter. 

' '  That 's  a  good  boy, ' '  said  the  little  gen- 
tleman. "Never  mind  your  brothers.  I'll 
talk  to  them. ' ' 

"Pray,  sir,  don't  do  any  such  thing," 
said  Gluck.  ' '  I  can 't  let  you  stay  till  they 
come ;  they  'd  be  the  death  of  me. ' ' 

"Dear  me,"  said  the  old  gentleman, 
"I'm  very  sorry  to  hear  that.  How  long 
may  I  stay?" 

"Only  till  the  mutton's  done,  sir,"  re- 
plied Gluck,  "and  it's  very  brown." 

2— Golden  River.  15 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

Then  the  old  gentleman  walked  into  the 
kitchen,  and  sat  himself  down  on  the  hob, 
with  the  top  of  his  cap  accommodated  up 
the  chimney,  for  it  was  a  great  deal  too 
high  for  the  roof. 

' '  You  '11  soon  dry  there,  sir, ? '  said  Gluck, 
and  sat  down  again  to  turn  the  mutton. 
But  the  old  gentleman  did  not  dry  there, 
but  went  on  drip,  drip,  dripping  among  the 
cinders,  and  the  fire  fizzed,  and  sputtered, 
and  began  to  look  very  black,  and  uncom- 
fortable: never  was  such  a  cloak;  every 
fold  in  it  ran  like  a  gutter. 

"I  beg  pardon,  sir,"  said  Gluck  at 
length,  after  watching  the  water  spreading 
in  long,  quicksilver-like  streams  over  the 
floor  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour;  "mayn't  I 
take  your  cloak?" 

16 


Or,  the   Black  Brothers 

' l No,  thank  you/'  said  the  old  gentleman. 

"Your  cap,  sir?" 

"lam  all  right,  thank  you, ' '  said  the  old 
gentleman  rather  gruffly. 

"But, — sir, — I'm  very  sorry,"  said 
Gluck,  hesitatingly;  "but — really,  sir, — 
you're — putting  the  fire  out." 

"It'll  take  longer  to  do  the  mutton, 
then, ' '  replied  his  visitor  drily. 

Gluck  was  very  much  puzzled  by  the  be- 
haviour of  his  guest ;  it  was  such  a  strange 
mixture  of  coolness  and  humility.  He 
turned  away  at  the  string  meditatively  for 
another  five  minutes. 

' '  That  mutton  looks  very  nice, ' '  said  the 
old  gentleman  at  length.  "Can't  you  give 
me  a  little  bit?" 

"Impossible,  sir,"  said  Gluck. 
17 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

"I'm  very  hungry,"  continued  the  old 
gentleman:  "I've  had  nothing  to  eat  yes- 
terday, nor  to-day.  They  surely  couldn't 
miss  a  bit  from  the  knuckle ! ' ' 

He  spoke  in  so  very  melancholy  a  tone, 
that  it  quite  melted  Gluck's  heart.  "They 
promised  me  one  slice  to-day,  sir, ' '  said  he ; 
"I  can  give  you  that,  but  not  a  bit  more." 

"That's  a  good  boy,"  said  the  old  gentle- 
man again. 

Then  Gluck  warmed  a  plate,  and  sharp- 
ened a  knife.  "I  don't  care  if  I  do  get 
beaten  for  it,"  thought  he.  Just  as  he  had 
cut  a  large  slice  out  of  the  mutton,  there 
came  a  tremendous  rap  at  the  door.  The 
old  gentleman  jumped  off  the  hob,  as  if  it 
had  suddenly  become  inconveniently  warm. 
Gluck  fitted  the  slice  into  the  mutton  again, 
18 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

with  desperate  efforts   at  exactitude,   and 
ran  to  open  the  door. 

"What  did  you  keep  us  waiting  in  the 
rain  for?"  said  Schwartz,  as  he  walked  in, 
throwing  his  umbrella  in  Gluck's  face. 
"Ah!  what  for,  indeed,  you  little  vaga- 
bond?" said  Hans,  administering  an  edu- 
cational box  on  the  ear,  as  he  followed  his 
brother  into  the  kitchen. 

"Bless  my  soul!"  said  Schwartz  when 
he  opened  the  door. 

"Amen,"  said  the  little  gentleman,  who 
had  taken  his  cap  off,  and  was  standing  in 
the  middle  of  the  kitchen,  bowing  with  the 
utmost  possible  velocity. 

"Who's  that?"  said  Schwartz,  catching 
up  a  rolling-pin,  and  turning  to  Gluck  with 
a  fierce  frown. 

19 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

"I  don't  know,  indeed,  brother,"  said 
Gluck  in  great  terror. 

"How  did  he  get  in?"  roared  Schwartz. 

"My  dear  brother,"  said  Gluck,  depre- 
catingly,  ' '  he  was  so  very  wet ! ' ' 

The  rolling-pin  was  descending  on 
Gluck 's  head;  but,  at  the  instant,  the  old 
gentleman  interposed  his  conical  cap,  on 
which  it  crashed  with  a  shock  that  shook 
the  water  out  of  it  all  over  the  room.  What 
was  very  odd,  the  rolling-pin  no  sooner 
touched  the  cap,  than  it  flew  out  of 
Schwartz's  hand,  spinning  like  a  straw  in 
a  high  wind,  and  fell  into  the  corner  at  the 
further  end  of  the  room. 

"Who  are  you,  sir?"  demanded 
Schwartz,  turning  upon  him. 

"What's  your  business?"  snarled  Hans. 
20 


Or,  the   Black   Brothers 

"I'm  a  poor  old  man,  sir,"  the  little 
gentleman  began  very  modestly,  "and  I 
saw  your  fire  through  the  window,  and 
begged  shelter  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 

"Have  the  goodness  to  walk  out  again, 
then,"  said  Schwartz.  "We've  quite 
enough  water  in  our  kitchen,  without  mak- 
ing it  a  drying  house. ' ' 

"  It  is  a  cold  day  to  turn  an  old  man  out 
in,  sir;  look  at  my  grey  hairs."  They 
hung  down  to  his  shoulders,  as  I  told  you 
before. 

"Ay!"  said  Hans,  "there  are  enough  of 
them  to  keep  you  warm.    Walk ! ' ' 

"I'm  very,  very  hungry,  sir;  couldn't 
you  spare  me  a  bit  of  bread  before  I  go?" 

"Bread,  indeed!"  said  Schwartz;  "do 
you  suppose  we've  nothing  to  do  with  our 
21 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

bread,  but  to  give  it  to  such  red-nosed  fel- 
lows as  you?" 

"Why  don't  you  sell  your  feather?" 
said  Hans,  sneeringly.     "Out  with  you." 

"A  little  bit,"  said  the  old  gentleman. 

"Be  off!"  said  Schwartz. 

1 '  Pray,    gentlemen . ' ' 

"Off,  and  be  hanged!"  cried  Hans, 
seizing  him  by  the  collar.  But  he  had  no 
sooner  touched  the  old  gentleman's  collar, 
than  away  he  went  after  the  rolling-pin, 
spinning  round  and  round,  till  he  fell  into 
the  corner  on  the  top  of  it.  Then  Schwartz 
was  very  angry,  and  ran  at  the  old  gentle- 
man to  turn  him  out;  but  he  also  had 
hardly  touched  him,  when  away  he  went 
after  Hans  and  the  rolling-pin,  and  hit  his 
head  against  the  wall  as  he  tumbled  into 

22 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

the  corner.  And  so  there  they  lay,  all 
three. 

Then  the  old  gentleman  spun  himself 
round  with  velocity  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion ;  continued  to  spin  until  his  long  cloak 
was  all  wound  neatly  about  him;  clapped 
his  cap  on  his  head,  very  much  on  one  side 
(for  it  could  not  stand  upright  without 
going  through  the  ceiling),  gave  an  ad- 
ditional twist  to  his  corkscrew  moustaches, 
and  replied  with  perfect  coolness:  "Gen- 
tlemen, I  wish  you  a  very  good  morning. 
At  twelve  o'clock  to-night  I'll  call  again; 
after  such  a  refusal  of  hospitality  as  I 
have  just  experienced,  you  will  not  be  sur- 
prised if  that  visit  is  the  last  I  ever  pay 
you." 

"If  ever  I  catch  you  here  again,"  mut- 
23 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

tered  Schwartz,  coming,  half  frightened, 
out  of  the  corner — but,  before  he  could  fin- 
ish his  sentence,  the  old  gentleman  had  shut 
the  house  door  behind  him  with  a  great 
bang :  and  there  drove  past  the  window,  at 
the  same  instant,  a  wreath  of  ragged  clouds 
that  whirled  and  rolled  away  down  the  val- 
ley in  all  manner  of  shapes;  turning  over 
and  over  in  the  air;  and  melting  away  at 
last  in  a  gush  of  rain. 

"A  very  pretty  business,  indeed,  Mr. 
Gluck ! ' '  said  Schwartz.  ' '  Dish  the  mutton, 
sir.  If  ever  I  catch  you  at  such  a  trick 
again — bless  me,  why  the  mutton's  been 
cut!" 

"You  promised  me  one  slice,  brother, 
you  know,"  said  Gluck. 

' '  Oh !  and  you  were  cutting  it  hot,  I  sup- 
24 


Or,  the   Black  Brothers 

pose,  and  going  to  catch  all  the  gravy. 
It'll  be  long  before  I  promise  you  such  a 
thing  again.  Leave  the  room,  sir ;  and  have 
the  kindness  to  wait  in  the  coal-cellar  till 
I  call  you." 

Gluck  left  the  room  melancholy  enough. 
The  brothers  ate  as  much  mutton  as  they 
could,  locked  the  rest  in  the  cupboard, 
and  proceeded  to  get  very  drunk  after 
dinner. 

Such  a  night  as  it  was !  Howling  wind, 
and  rushing  rain,  without  intermission. 
The  brothers  had  just  sense  enough  left 
to  put  up  all  the  shutters,  and  double  bar 
the  door,  before  they  went  to  bed.  They 
usually  slept  in  the  same  room.  As  the 
clock  struck  twelve,  they  were  both  awak- 
ened by  a  tremendous  crash.  Their  door 
25 


The   King  of  the  Golden  River 

burst  open  with  a  violence  that  shook  the 
house  from  top  to  bottom. 

"What's  that?"  cried  Schwartz,  start- 
ing up  in  his  bed. 

"Only  I,"  said  the  little  gentleman. 

The  two  brothers  sat  up  on  their  bolster, 
and  stared  into  the  darkness.  The  room 
was  full  of  water,  and  by  a  misty  moon- 
beam, which  found  its  way  through  a  hole 
in  the  shutter,  they  could  see  in  the  midst 
of  it,  an  enormous  foam  globe,  spinning 
round,  and  bobbing  up  and  clown  like  a 
cork,  on  which,  as  on  a  most  luxurious 
cushion,  reclined  the  little  old  gentleman, 
cap  and  all.  There  was  plenty  of  room  for 
it  now,  for  the  roof  was  off. 

"Sorry  to  incommode  you,"  said  their 
visitor,  ironically.  "I'm  afraid  your  beds 
26 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

are  dampish;  perhaps  you  had  better  go 
to  your  brother's  room:  I've  left  the  ceil- 
ing on,  there." 

They  required  no  second  admonition, 
but  rushed  into  Gluck's  room,  wet  through, 
and  in  an  agony  of  terror. 

"You'll  find  my  card  on  the  kitchen 
table,"  the  old  gentleman  called  after 
them.  "Remember,  the  last  visit." 

"Pray  Heaven  it  may!"  said  Schwartz, 
shuddering.  And  the  foam  globe  disap- 
peared. 

Dawn  came  at  last,  and  the  two  brothers 
looked  out  of  Gluck's  little  window  in  the 
morning.  The  Treasure  Valley  was  one 
mass  of  ruin  and  desolation.  The  inunda- 
tion had  swept  away  trees,  crops,  and 
cattle,  and  left  in  their  stead,  a  waste  of 
27 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

red  sand,  and  grey  mud.  The  two 
brothers  crept  shivering  and  horror- 
struck  into  the  kitchen.  The  water  had 
gutted  the  whole  first  floor;  corn,  money, 
almost  every  moveable  thing  had  been 
swept  away,  and  there  was  left  only 
a  small  white  card  on  the  kitchen  table. 
On  it,  in  large,  breezy,  long-legged  letters 
were  engraved  the  words: — 

SOUTH-WEST   WIND,   ESQUIRE. 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 


CHAPTER  II 


OF  THE  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  THREE  BROTHERS 


AFTER  THE   VISIT  OF  SOUTH-WEST  WIND 

ESQUIRE;    AND    HOW   LITTLE    GLUCK 

HAD  AN  INTERVIEW  WITH   THE 

KING  OF  THE  GOLDEN  RIVER 


SOUTH-WEST  WIND,  Esquire,  was  as 
good  as  his  word.  After  the  momen- 
tous visit  above  related,  he  entered  the 
Treasure  Valley  no  more;  and,  what  was 
worse,  he  had.  so  much  influence  with  his 
relations,  the  West  Winds  in  general,  and 
used  it  so  effectually,  that  they  all  adopted 
a  similar  line  of  conduct.  So  no  rain  fell 
in  the  valley  from  one  year's  end  to  an- 
other. Though  everything  remained  green 
29 


The    King  of  the  Golden   River 

and  flourishing  in  the  plains  below,  the 
inheritance  of  the  Three  Brothers  was  a 
desert.  What  had  once  been  the  richest 
soil  in  the  kingdom,  became  a  shifting  heap 
of  red  sand;  and  the  brothers,  unable 
longer  to  contend  with  the  adverse  skies, 
abandoned  their  valueless  patrimony  in 
despair,  to  seek  some  means  of  gaining  a 
livelihood  among  the  cities  and  people  of 
the  plains.  All  their  money  was  gone,  and 
they  had  nothing  left  but  some  curious  old- 
fashioned  pieces  of  gold  plate,  the  last  rem- 
nants of  their  ill-gotten  wealth. 

" Suppose  we  turn  goldsmiths?"  said 
Schwartz  to  Hans,  as  they  entered  the  large 
city.  "It  is  a  good  knave's  trade;  we  can 
put  a  great  deal  of  copper  into  the  gold, 
without  any  one 's  finding  it  out. ' ' 
30 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

The  thought  was  agreed  to  be  a  very 
good  one ;  they  hired  a  furnace,  and  turned 
goldsmiths.  But  two  slight  circumstances 
affected  their  trade:  the  first,  that  people 
did  not  approve  of  the  coppered  gold;  the 
second,  that  the  two  elder  brothers,  when- 
ever they  had  sold  anything,  used  to  leave 
little  Gluck  to  mind  the  furnace,  and  go  and 
drink  out  the  money  in  the  ale-house  next 
door.  So  they  melted  all  their  gold,  with- 
out making  money  enough  to  buy  more, 
and  were  at  last  reduced  to  one  large  drink- 
ing mug,  which  an  uncle  of  his  had  given 
to  little  Gluck,  and  which  he  was  very  fond 
of,  and  would  not  have  parted  with  for 
the  world;  though  he  never  drank  any- 
thing out  of  it  but  milk  and  water.  The 
mug  was  a  very  odd  mug  to  look  at.     The 

3—  Golden  River.  31 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

handle  was  formed  of  two  wreaths  of  flow- 
ing golden  hair,  so  finely  spnn  that  it 
looked  more  like  silk  than  metal,  and  these 
wreaths  descended  into,  and  mixed  with 
a  beard  and  whiskers  of  the  same  exquisite 
workmanship,  which  surrounded  and  deco- 
rated a  very  fierce  little  face,  of  the  reddest 
gold  imaginable,  right  in  the  front  of  the 
mug,  with  a  pair  of  eyes  in  it  which  seemed 
to  command  its  whole  circumference.  It 
was  impossible  to  drink  out  of  the  mug 
without  being  subjected  to  an  intense  gaze 
out  of  the  side  of  these  eyes ;  and  Schwartz 
positively  averred,  that  once,  after  empty- 
ing it,  full  of  Rhenish,  seventeen  times,  he 
had  seen  them  wink!  When  it  came  to 
the  mug's  turn  to  be  made  into  spoons,  it 
half  broke  poor  little  Gluck's  heart;  but 
32 


Or,  the   Black   Brothers 

the  brothers  only  laughed  at  him,  tossed 
the  mug  into  the  melting-pot,  and  stag- 
gered* out  to  the  ale-house:  leaving  him, 
as  usual,  to  pour  the  gold  into  bars,  when 
it  was  all  ready. 

When  they  were  gone,  Gluck  took  a  fare- 
well look  at  his  old  friend  in  the  melting- 
pot.  The  flowing  hair  was  all  gone; 
nothing  remained  but  the  red  nose,  and  the 
sparkling  eyes,  which  looked  more  mali- 
cious than  ever.  "And  no  wonder, " 
thought  Gluck,  ' '  after  being  treated  in  that 
way."  He  sauntered  disconsolately  to  the 
window,  and  sat  himself  down  to  catch 
the  fresh  evening  air,  and  escape  the  hot 
breath  of  the  furnace.  Now  this  window 
commanded  a  direct  view  of  the  range  of 
mountains,   which,   as   I  told  you  before, 

33 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

overhung  the  Treasure  Valley,  and  more 
especially  of  the  peak  from  which  fell  the 
Golden  River.  It  was  just  at  the  close  of 
the  day,  and,  when  Gluck  sat  down  at  the 
window,  he  saw  the  rocks  of  the  mountain 
tops,  all  crimson,  and  purple  with  the  sun- 
set ;  and  there  were  bright  tongues  of  fiery 
cloud  burning  and  quivering  about  them; 
and  the  river,  brighter  than  all,  fell,  in  a 
waving  column  of  pure  gold,  from  preci- 
pice to  precipice,  with  the  double  arch '  of 
a  broad  purple  rainbow  stretched  across  it, 
flushing  and  fading  alternately  in  the 
wreaths  of  spray. 

"Ah!"  said  Gluck  aloud,  after  he  had 
looked  at  it  for  a  while,  ' '  if  that  river  were 
really  all  gold,  what  a  nice  thing  it  would 
be." 

34 


Or,  the   Black   Brothers 

"No,  it  wouldn't,  Gluck,"  said  a  clear 
metallic  voice,  close  at  his  ear. 

"Bless  me,  what's  that?"  exclaimed 
Gluck,  jumping  up.  There  was  nobody 
there.  He  looked  round  the  room,  and 
under  the  table,  and  a  great  many  times 
behind  him,  but  there  was  certainly  nobody 
there,  and  he  sat  down  again  at  the  win- 
dow. This  time  he  didn't  speak,  but  he 
couldn't  help  thinking  again  that  it  would 
be  very  convenient  if  the  river  were  really 
all  gold. 

"Not  at  all,  my  boy,"  said  the  same 
voice,  louder  than  before. 

"Bless  me!"  said   Gluck  again,   "what 

is  that?"     He  looked  again  into  all  the 

corners,    and   cupboards,   and   then   began 

turning  round,  and  round,  as  fast  as  he 

35 


The  King  of  the  Golden   River 

could  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  thinking 
there  was  somebody  behind  him,  when  the 
same  voice  struck  again  on  his  ear.  It  was 
singing  now  very  merrily,  ' '  Lala-lira-la ; " 
no  words,  only  a  soft  running  effervescent 
melody,  something  like  that  of  a  kettle  on 
the  boil.  Gluck  looked  out  of  the  window. 
No,  it  was  certainly  in  the  house.  Up 
stairs,  and  down  stairs.  No,  it  was  cer- 
tainly in  that  very  room,  coming  in 
quicker  time,  and  clearer  notes,  every  mo- 
ment. "Lala-lira-la."  All  at  once  it 
struck  Gluck,  that  it  sounded  louder  near 
the  furnace.  He  ran  to  the  opening,  and 
looked  in:  yes,  he  saw  right,  it  seemed  to 
be  coming,  not  only  out  of  the  furnace, 
but  out  of  the  pot.  He  uncovered  it,  and 
ran  back  in  a  great  fright,  for  the  pot  was 
36 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

certainly  singing!  He  stood  in  the 
farthest  corner  of  the  room,  with  his  hands 
up,  and  his  mouth  open,  for  a  minute  or 
two,  when  the  singing  stopped,  and  the 
voice  became  clear,  and  pronunciative. 

"Hollo!"  said  the  voice. 

Gluck  made  no  answer. 

"Hollo!  Gluck,  my  boy,"  said  the  pot 
again. 

Gluck  summoned  all  his  energies,  walked 
straight  up  to  the  crucible,  drew  it  out 
of  the  furnace,  and  looked  in.  The  gold 
was  all  melted,  and  its  surface  as  smooth 
and  polished  as  a  river;  but  instead  of  re- 
flecting little  Gluck 's  head,  as  he  looked 
in,  he  saw  meeting  his  glance  from  beneath 
the  gold,  the  red  nose,  and  sharp  eyes  of 
his  old  friend  of  the  mug,  a  thousand  times 
37 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

redder,  and  sharper  than  ever  he  had  seen 
them  in  his  life. 

"Come,  Ghick,  my  boy,"  said  the  voice 
out  of  the  pot  again,  "I'm  all  right;  pour 
me  out." 

But  Gluck  was  too  much  astonished  to 
do  anything  of  the  kind. 

"Pour  me  out,  I  say,"  said  the  voice 
rather  gruffly. 

Still  Gluck  couldn't  move. 

"Will  you  pour  me  out?"  said  the  voice 
passionately,  "I'm  too  hot." 

By  a  violent  effort,  Gluck  recovered  the 
use  of  his  limbs,  took  hold  of  the  crucible, 
and  sloped  it,  so  as  to  pour  out  the  gold. 
But  instead  of  a  liquid  stream,  there  came 
out,  first,  a  pair  of  pretty  little  yellow  legs, 
then  some  coat  tails,  then  a  pair  of  arms 
38 


Or,  the   Black   Brothers 

stuck  a-kimbo,  and,  finally,  the  well-known 
head  of  his  friend  the  mug;  all  which 
articles,  uniting  as  they  rolled  out,  stood  up 
energetically  on  the  floor,  in  the  shape  of 
a  little  golden  dwarf,  about  a  foot  and  a 
half  high. 

' '  That 's  right ! ' '  said  the  dwarf,  stretch- 
ing out  first  his  legs,  and  then  his  arms, 
and  then  shaking  his  head  up  and  down, 
and  as  far  round  as  it  would  go,  for  five 
minutes,  without  stopping;  apparently 
with  the  view  of  ascertaining  if  he  were 
quite  correctly  put  together,  while  Gluck 
stood  contemplating  him  in  speechless 
amazement.  He  was  dressed  in  a  slashed 
doublet  of  spun  gold,  so  fine  in  its  texture, 
that  the  prismatic  colours  gleamed  over  it, 
as  if  on  a  surface  of  mother  of  pearl ;  and, 
39 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

over  this  brilliant  doublet,  his  hair  and 
beard  fell  full  half  way  to  the  ground,  in 
waving  curls,  so  exquisitely  delicate,  that 
Gluck  could  hardly  tell  where  they  ended; 
they  seemed  to  melt  into  air.  The  features 
of  the  face,  however,  were  by  no  means 
finished  with  the  same  delicacy;  they  were 
rather  coarse,  slightly  inclining  to  coppery 
in  complexion,  and  indicative,  in  expres- 
sion, of  a  very  pertinacious  and  intract- 
able disposition  in  their  small  proprietor. 
"When  the  dwarf  had  finished  his  self- 
examination,  he  turned  his  small  sharp 
eyes  full/ on  Gluck,  and  stared  at  him  de- 
liberately for  a  minute  or  two.  "No,  it 
wouldn't,  Gluck,  my  boy,"  said  the  little 
man. 

This  was  certainly  rather  an  abrupt,  and 
40 


Or,  the   Black  Brothers 

unconnected  mode  of  commencing  conver- 
sation. It  might  indeed  be  supposed  to 
refer  to  the  course  of  Gluck 's  thoughts, 
which  had  first  produced  the  dwarf's  ob- 
servations out  of  the  pot;  but  what  ever 
it  referred  to,  Gluck  had  no  inclination  to 
dispute  the  dictum. 

"Wouldn't  it,  sir?"  said  Gluck,  very 
mildly,  and  submissively  indeed. 

1 '  No, ' '  said  the  dwarf,  conclusively,  ' '  No, 
it  wouldn't."  And  with  that,  the  dwarf 
pulled  his  cap  hard  over  his  brows,  and 
took  two  turns,  of  three  feet  long,  up  and 
down  the  room,  lifting  his  legs  up  very 
high,  and  setting  them  down  very  hard. 
This  pause  gave  time  for  Gluck  to  collect 
his  thoughts  a  little,  and  seeing  no  great 
reason  to  view  his  diminutive  visitor  with. 
41 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

dread,  and  feeling  his  curiosity  overcome 
his  amazement,  he  ventured  on  a  question 
of  peculiar  delicacy. 

"Pray,  sir,"  said  Gluck,  rather  hesi- 
tatingly, "were  you  my  mug?" 

On  which  the  little  man  turned  sharp 
round,  walked  straight  up  to  Gluck,  and 
drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height.  "I," 
said  the  little  man,  "am  the  King  of  the 
Golden  River."  Whereupon  he  turned 
about  again,  and  took  two  more  turns,  some 
six  feet  long,  in  order  to  allow  time  for  the 
consternation  which  this  announcement 
produced  in  his  auditor  to  evaporate. 
After  which,  he  again  walked  up  to  Gluck 
and  stood  still,  as  if  expecting  some  com- 
ment on  his  communication. 

Gluck  determined  to  say  something  at 
42 


Or,  the   Black  Brothers 

all  events,  "I  hope  your  Majesty  is  very 
well,"  said  Gluck. 

"Listen!"  said  the  little  man,  deigning 
no  reply  to  this  polite  inquiry.  "I  am  the 
King  of  what  you  mortals  call  the  Golden 
River.  The  shape  you  saw  me  in,  was  ow- 
ing to  the  malice  of  a  stronger  king,  from 
whose  enchantments  you  have  this  instant 
freed  me.  What  I  have  seen  of  you,  and 
your  conduct  to  your  wicked  brothers,  ren- 
ders me  willing  to  serve  you;  therefore, 
attend  to  what  I  tell  you.  Whoever  shall 
climb  to  the  top  of  that  mountain  from 
which  you  see  the  Golden  Eiver  issue,  and 
shall  cast  into  the  stream  at  its  source, 
three  drops  of  holy  water,  for  him,  and  for 
him  only,  the  river  shall  turn  to  gold.  But 
no  one  failing  in  his  first,  can  succeed  in  a 
43 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

second  attempt;  and  if  any  one  shall  cast 
unholy  water  into  the  river,  it  will  over- 
whelm him,  and  he  will  become  a  black 
stone. ' '  So  saying,  the  King  of  the  Golden 
River  turned  away  and  deliberately  walked 
into  the  centre  of  the  hottest  flame  of  the 
furnace.  His  figure  became  red,  white, 
transparent,  dazzling^a  blaze  of  intense 
light — rose,  trembled,  and  disappeared. 
The  King  of  the  Golden  River  had 
evaporated. 

"Oh!"  cried  poor  Gluck,  running  to 
look  up  the  chimney  after  him ;  ' '  Oh,  dear, 
dear,  dear  me!  My  mug!  my  mug!  my 
mug!" 


44 


Or,   the   Black   Brothers 


CHAPTER  III 

HOW   MR.    HANS   SET   OFF   ON   AN  EXPEDITION 

TO    THE    GOLDEN    RIVER,    AND    HOW    HE 

PROSPERED   THEREIN 

THE  King  of  the  Golden  River  had 
hardly  made  the  extraordinary  exit 
related  in  the  last  chapter,  before  Hans 
and  Schwartz  came  roaring  into  the  house, 
very  savagely  drunk.  The  discovery  of 
the  total  loss  of  their  last  piece  of  plate 
had  the  effect  of  sobering  them  just  enough 
to  enable  them  to  stand  over  Gluck,  beat- 
ing him  very  steadily  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour;  at  the  expiration  of  which  period 
they  dropped  into  a  couple  of  chairs,  and 
45 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

requested  to  know  what  he  had  got  to  say 
for  himself.  Gluck  told  them  his  story,  of 
which,  of  course,  they  did  not  believe  a 
word.  They  beat  him  again,  till  their 
arms  were  tired,  and  staggered  to  bed.  In 
the  morning,  however,  the  steadiness  with 
which  he  adhered  to  his  story  obtained 
him  some  degree  of  credence;  the  immedi- 
ate consequence  of  which  was,  that  the 
two  brothers,  after  wrangling  a  long  time 
on  the  knotty  question,  which  of  them 
should  try  his  fortune  first,  drew  their 
swords  and  began  fighting.  The  noise  of 
the  fray  alarmed  the  neighbours,  who,  find- 
ing they  could  not  pacify  the  combatants, 
sent  for  the  constable. 

Hans,  on  hearing  this,  contrived  to  es- 
cape, and  hid  himself;  but  Schwartz  was 
46 


Or,   the   Black   Brothers 

taken  before  the  magistrate,  fined  for 
breaking  the  peace,  and,  having  drunk  out 
his  last  penny  the  evening  before,  was 
thrown  into  prison  till  he  should  pay. 

When  Hans  heard  this,  he  was  much 
delighted,  and  determined  to  set  out  im- 
mediately for  the  Golden  River.  How  to 
get  the  holy  water,  was  the  question.  He 
went  to  the  priest,  but  the  priest  could  not 
give  any  holy  water  to  so  abandoned  a 
character.  So  Hans  went  to  vespers  in 
the  evening  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life,  and,  under  pretence  of  crossing 
himself,  stole  a  cupful,  and  returned  home 
in  triumph. 

Next  morning  he  got  up  before  the  sun 
rose,  put  the  holy  water  into  a  strong 
flask,   and  two  bottles  of  wine  and  some 

4 — Golden  River.  47 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

meat  in  a  basket,  slung  them  over  his  back, 
took  his  alpine  staff  in  his  hand,  and  set 
off  for  the  mountains. 

On  his  way  out  of  the  town  he  had  to  pass 
the  prison,  and  as  he  looked  in  at  the  win- 
dows, whom  should  he  see  but  Schwartz 
himself  peeping  out  of  the  bars,  and  look- 
ing very  disconsolate. 

"Good  morning,  brother,"  said  Hans; 
"have  you  any  message  for  the  King  of 
the  Golden  Eiver?" 

Schwartz  gnashed  his  teeth  with  rage, 
and  shook  the  bars  with  all  his  strength; 
but  Hans  only  laughed  at  him,  and  ad- 
vising him  to  make  himself  comfortable 
till  he  came  back  again,  shouldered  his 
basket,  shook  the  bottle  of  holy  water  in 
Schwartz's  face  till  it  frothed  again,  and 
48 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

marched  off  in  the  highest  spirits  in  the 
world. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  morning  that  might 
have  made  any  one  happy,  even  with  no 
Golden  River  to  seek  for.  Level  lines  of 
dewy  mist  lay  stretched  along  the  valley, 
out  of  which  rose  the  massy  mountains — 
their  lower  cliffs  in  pale  grey  shadow, 
hardly  distinguishable  from  the  floating 
vapour,  but  gradually  ascending  till  they 
caught  the  sunlight,  which  ran  in  sharp 
touches  of  ruddy  colour,  along  the  angular 
crags,  and  pierced,  in  long  level  rays, 
through  their  fringes  of  spear-like  pine. 
Far  above,  shot  up  red  splintered  masses 
of  castellated  rock,  jagged  and  shivered 
into  myriads  of  fantastic  forms,  with  here 
and  there  a  streak  of  sunlit  snow,  traced 
49 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

down  their  chasms  like  a  line  of  forked 
lightning;  and,  far  beyond,  and  far  above 
all  these,  fainter  than  the  morning  cloud, 
but  purer  and  changeless,  slept,  in  the 
blue  sky,  the  utmost  peaks  of  the  eternal 
snow. 

The  Golden  River,  which  sprang  from 
one  of  the  lower  and  snowless  elevations, 
was  now  nearly  in  shadow;  all  but  the 
uppermost  jets  of  spray,  which  rose  like 
slow  smoke  above  the  undulating  line  of 
the  cataract,  and  floated  away  in  feeble 
wreaths  upon  the  morning  wind. 

On  this  object,  and  on  this  alone,  Hans' 
eyes  and  thoughts  were  fixed;  forgetting 
the  distance  he  had  to  traverse,  he  set  off 
at  an  imprudent  rate  of  walking,  which 
greatly  exhausted  him  before  he  had  scaled 
50 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

the  first  range  of  the  green  and  low  hills. 
He  was,  moreover,  surprised,  on  surmount- 
ing them,  to  find  that  a  large  glacier,  of 
whose  existence,  notwithstanding  his  pre- 
vious knowledge  of  the  mountains,  he  had 
been  absolutely  ignorant,  lay  between  him 
and  the  source  of  the  Golden  River.  He 
entered  on  it  with  the  boldness  of  a  prac- 
tised mountaineer;  yet  he  thought  he  had 
never  traversed  so  strange  or  so  dangerous 
a  glacier  in  his  life.  The  ice  was  exces- 
sively slippery,  and  out  of  all  its  chasms 
came  wild  sounds  of  gushing  water;  not 
monotonous  or  low,  but  changeful  and  loud, 
rising  occasionally  into  drifting  passages 
of  wild  melody,  then  breaking  off  into 
short  melancholy  tones,  or  sudden  shrieks, 
resembling  those  of  human  voices  in  dis- 
51 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

tress  or  pain.  The  ice  was  broken  into 
thousands  of  confused  shapes,  but  none, 
Hans  thought,  like  the  ordinary  forms  of 
splintered  ice.  There  seemed  a  curious 
expression  about  all  their  outlines — a  per- 
petual resemblance  to  living  features,  dis- 
torted  and  scornful.  Myriads  of  deceitful 
shadows,  and  lurid  lights,  played  and 
floated  about  and  through  the  pale  blue 
pinnacles,  dazzling  and  confusing  the  sight 
of  the  traveller;  while  his  ears  grew  dull 
and  his  head  giddy  with  the  constant  gush 
and  roar  of  the  concealed  waters.  These 
painful  circumstances  increased  upon  him 
as  he  advanced;  the  ice  crashed  and 
yawned  into  fresh  chasms  at  his  feet,  tot- 
tering spires  nodded  around  him,  and  fell 
thundering  across  his  path ;  and  though  he 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

had  repeatedly  faced  these  dangers  on  the 
most  terrific  glaciers,  and  in  the  wildest 
weather,  it  was  with  a  new  and  oppressive 
feeling  of  panic  terror  that  he  leaped  the 
last  chasm,  and  flung  himself,  exhausted 
and  shuddering,  on  the  firm  turf  of  the 
mountain. 

He  had  been  compelled  to  abandon  his 
basket  of  food,  which  became  a  perilous 
incumbrance  on  the  glacier,  and  had  now 
no  means  of  refreshing  himself  but  by- 
breaking  off  and  eating  some  of  the  pieces 
of  ice.  This,  however,  relieved  his  thirst; 
an  hour 's  repose  recruited  his  hardy  frame, 
and  with  the  indomitable  spirit  of  avarice, 
he  resumed  his  laborious  journey. 

His  way  now  lay  straight  up  a  ridge  of 
bare  red  rocks,  without  a  blade  of  grass 
53 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

to  ease  the  foot,  or  a  projecting  angle  to 
afford  an  inch  of  shade  from  the  south 
sun.  It  was  past  noon,  and  the  rays  beat 
intensely  upon  the  steep  path,  while  the 
whole  atmosphere  was  motionless,  and 
penetrated  with  heat.  Intense  thirst  was 
soon  added  to  the  bodily  fatigue  with  which 
Hans  was  now  afflicted;  glance  after  glance 
he  east  on  the  flask  of  water  which  hung 
at  his  belt.  "Three  drops  are  enough,"  at 
last  thought  he;  "I  may,  at  least,  cool  my 
lips  with  it." 

He  opened  the  flask,  and  was  raising  it 
to  his  lips,  when  his  eye  fell  on  an  object 
lying  on  the  rock  beside  him;  he  thought 
it  moved.  It  was  a  small  dog,  apparently 
in  the  last  agony  of  death  from  thirst.  Its 
tongue  was  out,  its  jaws  dry,  its  limbs  ex- 
54 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

tended  lifelessly,  and  a  swarm  of  bla(k 
ants  were  crawling  about  its  lips  and 
throat.  Its  eye  moved  to  the  bottle  which 
Hans  held  in  his  hand.  He  raised  it,  drank, 
spurned  the  animal  with  his  foot,  and 
passed  on.  And  he  did  not  know  how 
it  was,  but  he  thought  that  a  strange 
shadow  had  suddenly  come  across  the  blue 
sky. 

The  path  became  steeper  and  more  rug- 
ged every  moment;  and  the  high  hill  air, 
instead  of  refreshing  him,  seemed  to  throw 
his  blood  into  a  fever.  The  noise  of  the  hill 
cataracts  sounded  like  mockery  in  his  ears ; 
they  were  all  distant,  and  his  thirst  in- 
creased every  moment.  Another  hour 
passed,  and  he  again  looked  down  to  the 
flask  at  his  side;  it  was  half  empty;  but 
55 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

there  was  much  more  than  three  drops  in 
it.  He  stopped  to  open  it,  and  again,  as 
he  did  so,  something  moved  in  the  path 
above  him.  It  was  a  fair  child  stretched 
nearly  lifeless  on  the  rock,  its  breast  heav- 
ing with  thirst,  its  eyes  closed,  and  its  lips 
parched  and  burning.  Hans  eyed  it  de- 
liberately, drank,  and  passed  on.  And  a 
dark  grey  cloud  came  over  the  sun,  and 
long,  snake-like  shadows  crept  up  along 
the  mountain  sides.  Hans  struggled  on. 
The  sun  was  sinking,  but  its  descent  seemed 
to  bring  no  coolness;  the  leaden  weight  of 
the  dead  air  pressed  upon  his  brow  and 
heart,  but  the  goal  was  near.  He  saw  the 
cataract  of  the  Golden  River  springing  from 
the  hill-side,  scarcely  five  hundred  feet 
above  him.  He  paused  for  a  moment  to 
56 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

breathe,   and   sprang   on   to   complete   his 
task. 

At  this  instant  a  faint  cry  fell  on  his  ear. 
He  turned,  and  saw  a  grey-haired  old  man 
extended  on  the  rocks.  His  eyes  were  sunk, 
his  features  deadly  pale,  and  gathered  into 
an  expression  of  despair.  "Water!"  he 
stretched  his  arms  to  Hans,  and  cried 
feebly,  "Water!  I  am  dying." 

"I  have  none,"  replied  Hans;  "thou 
hast  had  thy  share  of  life."  He  strode 
over  the  prostrate  body,  and  darted  on. 
And  a  flash  of  blue  lightning  rose  out  of 
the  East,  shaped  like  a  sword;  it  shook 
thrice  over  the  whole  heaven,  and  left  it 
dark  with  one  heavy,  impenetrable  shade. 
The  sun  was  setting;  it  plunged  towards 
the  horizon  like  a  red-hot  ball. 
57 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

The  roar  of  the  Golden  Riyer  rose  on 
Hans'  ear.  He  stood  at  the  brink  of  the 
chasm  through  which  it  ran.  Its  waves 
were  filled  with  the  red  glory  of  the  sun- 
set: they  shook  their  crests  like  tongues  of 
fire,  and  flashes  of  bloody  light  gleamed 
along  their  foam.  Their  sound  came 
mightier  and  mightier  on  his  senses;  his 
brain  grew  giddy  with  the  prolonged  thun- 
der. Shuddering  he  drew  the  flask  from 
his  girdle,  and  hurled  it  into  the  centre  of 
the  torrent.  As  he  did  so,  and  icy  chill  shot 
through  his  limbs :  he  staggered,  shrieked, 
and  fell.  The  waters  closed  over  his  cry. 
And  the  moaning  of  the  river  rose  widly 
into  the  night,  as  it  gushed  over 

THE    BLACK    STONE. 
58 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 


CHAPTER  IV 

HOW    MR.    SCHWARTZ   SET    OFF    ON    AN   EXPE- 
DITION TO  THE  GOLDEN  RIVER,  AND  HOW 
HE  PROSPERED   THEREIN 

POOR  little  Gluck  waited  very  anxiously 
alone  in  the  house,  for  Hans'  return. 
Finding  he  did  not  come  back,  he  was 
terribly  frightened,  and  went  and  told 
Schwartz  in  the  prison,  all  that  had  hap- 
pened. Then  Schwartz  was  very  much 
pleased,  and  said  that  Hans  must  certainly 
have  been  turned  into  a  black  stone,  and 
he  should  have  all  the  gold  to  himself. 
But  Gluck  was  very  sorry,  and  cried  all 
night.  When  he  got  up  in  the  morning, 
59 


The   King  of  the  Golden  River 

there  was  no  bread  in  the  house,  nor  any 
money;  so  Gluck  went,  and  hired  himself 
to  another  goldsmith,  and  he  worked  so 
hard,  and  so  neatly,  and  so  long  every  day, 
that  he  soon  got  money  enough  together,  to 
pay  his  brother's  fine,  and  he  went,  and 
gave  it  all  to  Schwartz,  and  Schwartz  got 
out  of  prison.  Then  Schwartz  was  quite 
pleased,  and  said  he  should  have  some  of 
the  gold  of  the  river.  But  Gluck  only 
begged  he  would  go  and  see  what  had  be- 
come of  Hans. 

Now,  when  Schwartz  had  heard  that 
Hans  had  stolen  the  holy  water,  he  thought 
to  himself  that  such  a  proceeding  might 
not  be  considered  altogether  correct  by  the 
King  of  the  Golden  River,  and  determined 
to  manage  matters  better.  So  he  took  some 
60 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

more  of  Gluck's  money,  and  went  to  a  bad 
priest,  who  gave  him  some  holy  water  very 
readily  for  it.  Then  Schwartz  was  sure  it 
was  all  quite  right.  So  Schwartz  got  up 
early  in  the  morning  before  the  sun  rose, 
and  took  some  bread  and  wine  in  a  basket, 
and  put  his  holy  water  in  a  flask,  and  set 
off  for  the  mountains.  Like  his  brother 
he  was  much  surprised  at  the  sight  of  the 
glacier,  and  had  great  difficulty  in  crossing 
it,  even  after  leaving  his  basket  behind 
him.  The  day  was  cloudless,  but  not  bright : 
there  was  a  heavy  purple  haze  hanging 
over  the  sky,  and  the  hills  looked  lowering 
and  gloomy.  And  as  Schwartz  climbed  the 
steep  rock  path,  the  thirst  came  upon  him, 
as  it  had  upon  his  brother,  until  he  lifted 
his  flask  to  his  lips  to  drink.  Then  he  saw 
61 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

the  fair  child  lying  near  him  on  the  rocks, 
and  it  cried  to  him,  and  moaned  for  water. 

"Water  indeed,"  said  Schwartz;  "I 
haven't  half  enough  for  myself,"  and 
passed  on.  And  as  he  went  he  thought  the 
sunbeams  grew  more  dim,  and  he  saw  a 
low  bank  of  black  cloud  rising  out  of  the 
West;  and,  when  he  had  climbed  for  an- 
other hour,  the  thirst  overcame  him  again, 
and  he  would  have  drunk.  Then  he  saw 
the  old  man  lying  before  him  on  the  path, 
and  heard  him  cry  out  for  water.  ' '  Water, 
indeed,"  said  Schwartz,  "I  have  n't  half 
enough  for  myself,"  and  on  he  went. 

Then  again  the  light  seemed  to  fade  from 
before  his  eyes,  and  he  looked  up,  and,  be- 
hold, a  mist,  of  the  colour  of  blood,  had 
come  over  the  sun;  and  the  bank  of  black 
62 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

cloud  had  risen  very  high,  and  its  edges 
were  tossing  and  tumbling  like  the  waves 
of  the  angry  sea.  And  they  east  long  shad- 
ows, which  flickered  over  Schwartz's  path. 
Then  Schwartz  climbed  for  another  hour, 
and  again  his  thirst  returned;  and  as  he 
lifted  his  flask  to  his  lips,  he  thought  he 
saw  his  brother  Hans  lying  exhausted  on 
the  path  before  him,  and,  as  he  gazed,  the 
figure  stretched  its  arms  to  him,  and  cried 
for  water.  "Ha,  ha,"  laughed  Schwartz, 
1 '  are  you  there  ?  remember  the  prison  bars, 
my  boy.  Water,  indeed !  do  you  suppose  I 
carried  it  all  the  way  up  here  for  you?" 
And  he  strode  over  the  figure;  yet,  as  he 
passed,  he  thought  he  saw  a  strange 
expression  of  mockery  about  its  lips. 
And,    when    he    had    gone    a    few    yards 

5— Golden  River.  63 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

farther,   he   looked  back;    but   the   figure 
was  not  there. 

And  a  sudden  horror  came  over 
Schwartz,  he  knew  not  why;  but  the  thirst 
for  gold  prevailed  over  his  fear,  and  he 
rushed  on.  And  the  bank  of  black  cloud 
rose  to  the  zenith,  and  out  of  it  came 
bursts  of  spiry  lightning,  and  waves  of 
darkness  seemed  to  heave  and  float  between 
their  flashes,  over  the  whole  heavens.  And 
the  sky  where  the  sun  was  setting  was  all 
level,  and  like  a  lake  of  blood ;  and  a  strong 
wind  came  out  of  that  sky,  tearing  its  crim- 
son clouds  into  fragments,  and  scattering 
them  far  into  the  darkness.  And  when 
Schwartz  stood  by  the  brink  of  the  Golden 
Biver,  its  waves  were  black,  like  thunder 
clouds,  but  their  foam  was  like  fire;  and 
64 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

the  roar  of  the  waters  below,  and  the  thun- 
der above  met,  as  he  cast  the  flask  into 
the  stream.  And,  as  he  did  so,  the  light- 
ning glared  in  his  eyes,  and  the  earth  gave 
way  beneath  him,  and  the  waters  closed 
over  his  cry.  And  the  moaning  of  the 
river  rose  wildly  into  the  night,  as  it  gushed 
over  the 

TWO    BLACK    STONES. 


65 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 


CHAPTER  V 

• 

HOW  LITTLE. GLUCK   SET   OFF   ON   AN  EXPEDI- 
TION   TO    THE    GOLDEN    RIVER,    AND    HOW 
HE     PROSPERED     THEREIN;     WITH 
OTHER   MATTERS   OF   INTEREST 

WHEN  Gluck  found  that  Schwartz 
did  not  come  back,  he  was  very 
sorry,  and  did  not  know  what  to  do.  He 
had  no  money,  and  was  obliged  to  go  and 
hire  himself  again  to  the  goldsmith,  who 
worked  him  very  hard,  and  gave  him  very 
little  money.  So,  after  a  month,  or  two, 
Glnck  grew  tired,  and  made  up  his  mind 
to  go  and  try  his  fortune  with  the  Golden 
River.  ' '  The  little  king  looked  very  kind, ' ' 
66 


Or,  the   Black  Brothers 

thought  he.  "I  don't  think  he  will  turn 
me  into  a  black  stone."  So  he  went  to  the 
priest,  and  the  priest  gave  him  some  holy 
water  as  soon  as  he  asked  for  it.  Then 
Gluck  took  some  bread  in  his  basket,  and 
the  bottle  of  water,  and  set  off  very  early 
for  the  mountains. 

If  the  glacier  had  occasioned  a  great  deal 
of  fatigue  to  his  brothers,  it  was  twenty 
times  worse  for  him,  who  was  neither 
so  strong  nor  so  practised  on  the  moun- 
tains. He  had  several  very  bad  falls,  lost 
his  basket  and  bread,  and  was  very  much 
frightened  at  the  strange  noises  under  the 
ice.  He  lay  a  long  time  to  rest  on  the  grass, 
after  he  had  got  over,  and  began  to  climb 
the  hill  just  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  day. 
When  he  had  climbed  for  an  hour,  he  got 
67 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

dreadfully  thirsty,  and  was  going  to  drink 
like  his  brothers,  when  he  saw  an  old  man 
coming  down  the  path  above  him,  looking 
very  feeble,  and  leaning  on  a  staff.  "My 
son,"  said  the  old  man,  "I  am  faint  with 
thirst,  give  me  some  of  that  water. ' '  Then 
Gluck  looked  at  him,  and  when  he  saw  that 
he  was  pale  and  weary,  he  gave  him  the 
water;  "Only  pray  don't  drink  it  all/' 
said  Glnck.  But  the  old  man  drank  a 
great  deal,  and  gave  him  back  the  bottle 
two-thirds  empty.  Then  he  bade  him  good 
speed,  and  Gluck  went  on  again  merrily. 
And  the  path  became  easier  to  his  feet  and 
two  or  three  blades  of  grass  appeared  upon 
it,  and  some  grasshoppers  began  singing 
on  the  bank  beside  it;  and  Gluck  thought 
he  had  never  heard  such  merry  singing. 
68 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

Then  he  went  on  for  another  hour,  and 
the  thirst  increased  on  him  so  that  he 
thought  he  should  be  forced  to  drink.  But, 
as  he  raised  the  flask,  he  saw  a  little  child 
lying  panting  by  the  road-side,  and  it 
cried  out  piteously  for  water.  Then  Gluck 
struggled  with  himself,  and  determined  to 
bear  the  thirst  a  little  longer;  and  he  put 
the  bottle  to  the  child's  lips,  and  it  drank 
it  all  but  a  few  drops.  Then  it  smiled  on 
him,  and  got  up,  and  ran  down  the  hill; 
and  Gluck  looked  after  it,  till  it  became  as 
small  as  a  little  star,  and  then  turned  and 
began  climbing  again.  And  then  there 
were  all  kinds  of  sweet  flowers  growing  on 
the  rocks,  bright  green  moss,  with  pale  pink 
starry  flowers,  and  soft  belled  gentians, 
more  blue  than  the  sky  at  its  deepest,  and 
69 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

pure  white  transparent  lilies.  And  crim- 
son and  purple  butterflies  darted  hither 
and  thither,  and  the  sky  sent  down  such 
pure  light,  that  Gluck  had  never  felt  so 
happy  in  his  life. 

Yet,  when  he  had  climbed  for  another 
hour,  his  thirst  became  intolerable  again; 
and,  when  he  looked  at  his  bottle,  he  saw 
that  there  were  only  five  or  six  drops  left 
in  it,  and  he  could  not  venture  to  drink. 
And,  as  he  was  hanging  the  flask  to  his 
belt  again,  he  saw  a  little  dog  lying  on  the 
rocks,  gasping  for  breath — just  as  Hans 
had  seen  it  on  the  day  of  his  ascent.  And 
Gluck  stopped  and  looked  at  it,  and  then 
at  the  Golden  River,  not  five  hundred 
yards  above  him;  and  he  thought  of  the 
dwarf's  words,  "that  no  one  could  succeed, 
70 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

except  in  his  first  attempt;"  and  he  tried 
to  pass  the  dog,  but  it  whined  piteously, 
and  Gluck  stopped  again.  ' '  Poor  Beastie, ' ' 
said  Gluck,  "it'll  be  dead  when  I  come 
down  again,  if  I  don't  help  it."  Then  he 
looked  closer  and  closer  at  it,  and  its  eye 
turned  on  him  so  mournfully,  that  he 
could  not  stand  it.  "Confound  the  King 
and  his  gold  too,"  said  Gluck;  and  he 
opened  the  flask,  and  poured  all  the  water 
into   the   dog's   mouth. 

The  dog  sprang  up  and  stood  on  its 
hind  legs.  Its  tail  disappeared,  its  ears  be- 
came long,  longer,  silky,  golden;  its  nose 
became  very  red,  its  eyes  became  very 
twinkling;  in  three  seconds  the  dog  was 
gone,  and  before  Gluck  stood  his  old  ac- 
quaintance, the  King  of  the  Golden  River. 
71 


The  King  of  the  Golden  River 

"Thank  you,"  said  the  monarch;  "but 
don't  be  frightened,  it's  all  right;"  for 
Gluck  showed  manifest  symptoms  of  con- 
sternation at  this  unlooked-for  reply  to 
his  last  observation.  "Why  didn't  you 
come  before,"  continued  the  dwarf,  "in- 
stead of  sending  me  those  rascally  brothers 
of  yours,  for  me  to  have  the  trouble  of 
turning  into  stones?  Very  hard  stones 
they  make  too." 

"Oh  dear  me!"  said  Gluck,  "have  you 
really  been  so  cruel?" 

"Cruel!"  said  the  dwarf,  "they  poured 
unholy  water  into  my  stream :  do  you  sup- 
pose I'm  going  to  allow  that?" 

"Why,"  said  Gluck,  "I  am  sure,  sir— 
your  majesty,  I  mean — they  got  the  water 
out  of  the  church  font." 
72 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

"Very  probably,"  replied  the  dwarf; 
"but,"  and  his  countenance  grew  stern  as 
he  spoke,  "the  water  which  has  been  re- 
fused to  the  cry  of  the  weary  and  dying, 
is  unholy,  though  it  had  been  blessed  by 
every  saint  in  heaven ;  and  the  water  which 
is  found  in  the  vessel  of  mercy  is  holy, 
though  it  had  been  defiled  with  corpses." 

So  saying,  the  dwarf  stooped  and 
plucked  a  lily  that  grew  at  his  feet.  On 
its  white  leaves  there  hung  three  drops  of 
clear  dew.  And  the  dwarf  shook  them  into 
the  flask  which  Gluck  held  in  his  hand. 
"Cast  these  into  the  river,"  he  said,  "and 
descend  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains 
into  the  Treasure  Valley.  And  so  good 
speed. ' ' 

As  he  spoke,  the  figure  of  the  dwarf  be- 
73 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

came  indistinct.  The  playing  colours  of 
his  robe  formed  themselves  into  a  prismatic 
mist  of  dewy  light :  he  stood  for  an  instant 
veiled  with  them  as  with  the  belt  of  a  broad 
rainbow.  The  colours  grew  faint,  the  mist 
rose  into  the  air;  the  monarch  had  evapo- 
rated. 

And  Grluck  climbed  to  the  brink  of  the 
Golden  River,  and  its  waves  were  as  clear 
as  crystal,  and  as  brilliant  as  the  sun.  And, 
when  he  cast  the  three  drops  of  dew  into 
the  stream.,  there  opened  where  they  fell, 
a  small  circular  whirlpool,  into  which  the 
waters  descended  with  a  musical  noise. 

Gluck  stood  watching  it  for  some  time, 

very  much  disappointed,  because  not  only 

the  river  was  not  turned  into  gold,  but  its 

waters  seemed  much  diminished  in  quan- 

74 


Or,  the  Black  Brothers 

tity.  Yet  he  obeyed  his  friend  the  dwarf, 
and  descended  the  other  side  of  the  moun- 
tains, towards  the  Treasure  Valley ;  and,  as 
he  went,  he  thought  he  heard  the  noise  of 
water  working  its  way  under  the  ground. 
And,  when  he  came  in  sight  of  the  Treasure 
Valley,  behold,  a  river,  like  the  Golden 
River,  was  springing  from  a  new  cleft  of 
the  rocks  above  it,  and  was  flowing  in  in- 
numerable streams  among  the  dry  heaps 
of  red  sand. 

And  as  Gluck  gazed,  fresh  grass  sprang 
beside  the  new  streams,  and  creeping  plants 
grew,  and  climbed  among  the  moistened 
soil.  Young  flowers  opened  suddenly 
along  the  river  sides,  as  stars  leap  out 
when  twilight  is  deepening,  and  thickets 
of  myrtle,  and  tendrils  of  vine,  cast  length- 
75 


The   King  of  the  Golden   River 

ening  shadows  over  the  valley  as  they  grew. 
And  thus  the  Treasure  Valley  became  a 
garden  again,  and  the  inheritance,  which 
had  been  lost  by  cruelty,  was  regained  by 
love. 

And  Gluck  went,  and  dwelt  in  the  val- 
ley, and  the  poor  were  never  driven  from 
his  door:  so  that  his  barns  became  full  of 
corn,  and  his  house  of  treasure.  And,  for 
him,  the  river  had,  according  to  the  dwarf  'a 
promise,  become  a  River  of  Gold. 

And,  to  this  day,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
valley  point  out  the  place  where  the  three 
drops  of  holy  dew  were  cast  into  the 
stream,  and  trace  the,  course  of  the  Golden 
River  under  the  ground,  until  it  emerges 
in  the  Treasure  Valley.  And  at  the  top 
of  the  cataract  of  the  Golden  River,  are 
76 


Or,  the   Black   Brothers 

still  to  be  seen  two  black  stones,  round 
which  the  waters  howl  mournfully  every 
day  at  sunset;  and  these  stones  are  still 
called  by  the  people  of  the  valley 

THE  BLACK  BROTHERS. 


THE    END. 


77 


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